E-Reputation

This lesson will provide an overview of:

• Claiming a business
• Review solicitation tools
• Integration with social media

At the end of this lesson you should be able to:

• Register and manage accounts on TripAdvisor
• Use the business tools to invite reviews
• Link TripAdvisor to your website
• Claim or assess the TripAdvisor listing for your tourism business

TripAdvisor is a giant of the travel industry and affects your property whether you know it or not as customers can review your business without your knowledge. As such, it shouldn't be ignored, and having an active TripAdvisor listing has become almost compulsory for your property's image. And it's free!

According to TripAdvisor, it has:

• 760 million reviews and opinions
• 8.3 million accommodations, attractions, and restaurants
• 490 million average monthly unique visitors

While TripAdvisor is one of the largest OTA's (online travel agencies), it is especially renowned for its customer reviews. These can prove to be to your advantage as free word-of-mouth advertising if you receive positive reviews. If you receive negative reviews, however, this can be bad news for your business as only customers can remove or update reviews; you as the business owner can merely respond.

How your business can get listed

There are two ways: a representative from your business can request a listing, or a TripAdvisor user can write a review of your property and initiate a listing.

Before you request a listing, go to www.tripadvisor.com/Owners to see if a traveler has already added your business to TripAdvisor. Type the name of your business in the box. If it appears in the results drop down, a traveler has already initiated a listing. Select your business from the drop down and then click the "Claim Your Business" button to confirm that you are affiliated with the property.

If your business is already listed, you should claim that listing as your own instead of creating a new one. TripAdvisor only allows one listing per property. For more details on how to claim your listing and access the Management Center, where you can manage your TripAdvisor listing and reviews, see our Quick Start Guide.

Request a listing

If your business is not listed on TripAdvisor yet, there won't be any matches in the drop-down search results. In that case, click the "Get listed now" link below the search box. This will bring you to a page where you can request a listing for your property.

You'll need to provide a few different types of information about your business to get started. TripAdvisor editors will use this information to confirm that your business meets the listing criteria and to determine the best category for it on the site. Please complete the request form with as much detail as possible to help accurately list your business. Read below for more information about each section of the form.

Your information

The "Your information" section helps verify your relationship with the business. Provide your name, connection with the business, and email address. Make sure your email address is correct because they'll send you a message when your listing is published on TripAdvisor. Then you can register your affiliation with the property to take advantage of free tools.

Listing information for your property

Next, you'll provide information for your business including your company's official name and address. Once you've typed your address, place the marker on the correct location on the map. Your property's mapped location will be shown to travelers on the site as they plan their trips. You'll need to add your company's website and phone number as well.

Keep in mind that TripAdvisor editors use your website or a partner's website (like a tourist board or reservations partner) to confirm the information you provide. So, it's very important that the data you submit in your listing request matches your website and other resources.

Property details

They'll also need you to answer some detailed questions about your type of property. These help make sure they're displaying your business in the right category and including as much relevant information as possible.

Accommodations: As an accommodation owner, your property will be listed on the TripAdvisor accommodations section for your destination. There are some specific items you'll need to provide so that they can put you in the correct category within that section:

• Total number of rooms
• Price range
• Minimum stay requirements
• If you have on-site staff and security
• If room cleaning is included
• Front desk staffing details
• If bathrooms are en suite

You'll also be able to provide additional information on amenities including whether your property offers complimentary breakfast, suites, tennis/golf, beach/pool access, fitness center, internet access, etc. These details will be added to the "Amenities" portion of your listing and will help travelers research what they can expect at your accommodation. They use these characteristics, as well as official, local classifications, to determine if your property should be listed in the Hotels, B&B/Inns, or Specialty Lodging category on TripAdvisor.

For more information, read accommodation listing guidelines here.

Add a property description

A description helps travelers learn more about your business. It must be written in your local language and cannot include any HTML coding, phone numbers, web/email addresses or text in ALL CAPS. It's best to keep this description short, so guests can scan the key highlights you've provided and make a decision.

Choose a photo

Providing a photo of your business helps you make a strong first impression with travelers. It will display on your listing page. The photo needs to be a .jpg or .gif (common photo formats). They don't accept images with borders, logos or files that are larger than 100kb.

Submit the listing

Once you've confirmed that all of the information you've added is correct, check the box at the bottom of the form to verify that you are a representative of the business, the information you've submitted is valid and that you have the rights to post the image you've provided. Then click the 'Submit' button to complete the process.

Next steps

Once you request your listing, TripAdvisor editors will verify your details and confirm that your property meets the guidelines for the business type you've selected. This typically takes about 5 business days.

Managing your TripAdvisor listing

The Management Center is your destination for any and all aspects of your TripAdvisor listing. From updating basic business details, to posting photos, and seeing analytics — your Management Center is the place to go. All registered and verified owners have access to the Management Center. To log in, visit www.tripadvisor.com/Owners. If you're affiliated with more than one property, select the property you'd like to view or update from the list.

Here's a quick list of the top five things you can find in the TripAdvisor Management Center, using the top menu to navigate. Read below for an overview of the homepage and a guide to common Management Center tasks.

• Manage Listing: Add photos, manage listing details, update amenities and more via the Manage Listing tab.
• Drive Bookings: If applicable, accommodations will find links to manage Business Advantage and Sponsored Placements in the Drive Bookings tab.
• Marketing Tools: Catch the eye of potential diners & guests with promotional tools, awards, widgets, and window stickers on the Marketing Tools tab.
• Reviews: Respond to reviews, report a review, and answer traveler questions on the Reviews tab.
• Help & Settings: Get answers to all of your questions. Access billing & payments, update email preferences, and manage user access. The Owners' Forum and Help Center are also available here on the Help & Settings tab.

How to optimise your listing

The first step in getting a handle on your TripAdvisor image is to start with the aspects of your listing that you can control:

Upload lots of images to help the traveller imagine themself staying with you

When booking a place to stay, travellers want a good idea of what they are in for. If there are only photos of your best room, they will notice, and wonder why you are hiding the others. They also want to see more than just the bedrooms. Show them the bathrooms, the gardens, the pool, and any other facilities you have. Make sure that there are at least ten good quality, professional photographs, but don't let the images lie - remember, TripAdvisor allows users to post their own photos. If the difference between theirs and yours is too great you will lose the trust of prospective guests (or fail to meet your guests' expectations when they arrive).

Give guests all the details up front

Consumers want to know as much as possible about your establishment before they get there, that's why they are doing their research. Make it easy for them. Describe exactly where you are, for instance. Tell them about anything that makes your establishment special, the area you are in, and what makes you different from other accommodation in your area.

Keep your listing's text and images up-to-date

When you update aspects of your property - after listening to your guests' suggestions and making sure facilities aren't becoming dated - let potential future guests know about it on TripAdvisor as soon as it's done.

Respond to reviews

No matter how many good reviews you receive, you can't keep everyone happy and you are bound to get a few poor reviews. While you can't remove these reviews, if you respond quickly and politely, using the skills you learned in the previous chapter, you may be able to reduce the negative influence. In some cases a well handled response can turn the review around and the customer can be requested to update their review.

Connect TripAdvisor to your website

TripAdvisor reviews and badges can be added to your website.

A widget is a small snippet of code provided by TripAdvisor that can be installed within any HTML-based web page. They can bring TripAdvisor content - like recent reviews or your overall rating - to your website, and they update automatically. Other widgets encourage travellers to write reviews or link to your listing on TripAdvisor.

Depending on your type of business, various widgets are available. To find out what content is free for you, go to your Widget Centre. Here are some of the options:

• Awards & Praise: Has your business received rave reviews or have you earned a TripAdvisor recognition? These widgets will help you spread the news
• Display Reviews: Show off your rating, snippets of recent reviews and more
• Collect Reviews: Drive more reviews with a quick link for visitors to write a review on TripAdvisor, or encourage them to write a review without ever leaving your site
• Social Media Button: Add this button next to your Facebook & Twitter icons on your website so visitors are just a click away from reading your reviews
• Read Reviews: Put visitors a click away from your destination's reviews, photos and more

How do I get a widget?

Head to www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Widgets and enter your business or destination name. Your personalised widgets are available to you in just a few clicks.

Sources:
https://www.guestrevu.com/guide-to-tripadvisor
https://www.tripadvisor.com/TripAdvisorInsights/w855

Summary

• Claim your free listing at https://www.tripadvisor.com/Owners and optimise it with clear information and great photos.
• Manage your reviews quickly and politely.
• TripAdvisor badges and reviews can be added to your website.